To the drugs of abuse commonly plaguing employers, synthetic cannabinoids, such as K2 and Spice, and synthetic cathinodes, often label as “bath salts,” will have to be reckoned with.  Although the overwhelming majority of states have outlawed K2 and Spice, as well as bath salts, according to the National Council on State Legislatures, and although they have been added by legislation to Schedule I of the federal Controlled Substances Act,KSAT in San Antonio, an ABC affiliate, reminded employers recently that detecting them is not a given.  Employers need to check whether the laboratories they are using to analyze drug test results have the ability to test for these substances, KSAT cautioned.  The conventional tests used by laboratories to test for natural cannabis (delta 9-THC), for example, will not detect these synthetics. The chief operating officer of a chain of medical clinics in the San Antonio area, according to the station, described the problem as a “mushroom cloud [that] is exploding and getting more complicated.”

A spokesperson for a human resources consulting group in the area reportedly added, “The expansion of this type of testing is going to be a substantial tool for emplpyers.  If they can’t control the sale, they can at least deter the use.”